AIZAWL : A 17-member academic delegation from the Department of Mass Communication, Arunachal Pradesh University (APU), Pasighat, currently on a four-day Media Exposure Tour to Aizawl, called on Mizoram Minister of State for Information and Public Relations B. Lalchhanzova at the Civil Secretariat on Thursday.

The meeting was attended by officials from the Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Aizawl, representatives of the Press Information Bureau (PIB), and members of the Mizoram Journalists Association.

Welcoming the delegation, Lalchhanzova lauded the Department of Mass Communication, APU, for selecting Mizoram as the destination for the exposure tour. Addressing the students, he underscored the importance of regional solidarity and urged the youth of the Northeast to work collectively towards the region’s development and welfare.

Encouraging the students to utilise their skills in journalism, filmmaking, photography and documentary production, the minister called upon them to showcase Arunachal Pradesh’s rich cultural heritage, indigenous traditions and natural beauty to a wider audience. He urged them to think creatively and use media as a bridge between the state and the world.

The delegation is led by Department of Mass Communication Head In-Charge Dr Prem Taba and faculty member Dr Kombong Darang. Fifteen postgraduate students of the Master of Arts in Mass Communication programme are participating in the tour.

Speaking on the objectives of the visit, Dr Prem Taba said the exposure tour was designed to bridge classroom learning with professional practice and provide students with first-hand experience of the media landscape of the Northeast.

As part of the programme, the delegation visited several leading media institutions in Aizawl, including LPS, a prominent cable television network in Mizoram, Vanglaini, the state’s highest-circulated Mizo-language newspaper, and All India Radio, Aizawl, where students gained practical insights into broadcast and print media operations.

The students also visited the North Eastern Regional Campus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Aizawl, and the Department of Mass Communication at Mizoram University. During the visits, they interacted with faculty members, research scholars and students on curriculum design, media education and professional practices, gaining valuable academic and industry perspectives.